It's obvious that creative partners Maggie Blue O'Hara and Hoi Chiu are very much in love. They met in Vancouver scarcely a year ago when Maggie, who now lives in Gibsons, was involved in a dance performance. She is a dancer and also a writer, director and filmmaker with 24 years experience in Canadian TV and film. She's also one of Vancouver's top voice artists, providing animated voices for various media.
Last year, she represented a performing troupe, the All Theatre Company, at the World Arts Conference in Macau, China, as well as performing her own show Chun: Heaven Human Earth at the Macau Fringe Festival. It involved fire-spinning, stilt walking, masks and circus arts. Hoi Chiu, an artist with extensive background as an actor, director and the founder of the Hong Kong Puppet Centre, was invited by a local performing group, The New Mythmakers, to teach a puppet workshop. He was also in Canada to direct Hong Kong's Harry Wong and Canadian Rick Scott in the production of The Five Elements. Maggie Blue and Hoi Chiu clicked immediately. The love that the two artists have for one another is reflected in their puppet play, YuYu MiMi, that they have developed together and will present in front of a world audience at the Dynamics 05 International Puppet Festival in Birmingham, England, this June. But before they leave for England, they'll give the Coast a preview showing in their own neighbourhood, at Grantham's Landing Hall, on May 28 and 29.
The puppet story relates the love won and lost by the lively puppeteer, YuYu, and the slower, more thoughtful writer, MiMi. Though they meet and are attracted to one another, they both hold something back, a part of themselves that eventually results in loss. Nothing lasts forever, it seems to say, but just as the story begins and ends at love's gate, the cycle of life and love continues. "It's about laying love on the table," say the artists, "about giving it up."
The story had such strength that it drew the attention and interest of long-time musician and performer of Pied Pumkin fame, Rick Scott, and his wife Valley Hennel. "They felt it was their own love story," says Chiu who had met Scott in Hong Kong in 2003. Chiu had written the original story prior to that and now wanted to adapt it and give it to the couple as a gift. Scott has since written original music for the play, and Hennel has collaborated with O'Hara on the script. With her experience at producing voices, she will be the narrator for the show. Chiu carved the puppets himself and the couple have hand-made all the costumes, props and stage set. Chiu will incorporate such performance items as shadow play on a backlit screen. YuYu MiMi first began as an illustrated book, created by Chiu. The original illustrations that tell the story have been painted, sketched and even rendered in the precise scissor work of Chinese paper cutting. He's been drawing his whole life, he says, while O'Hara has been acting her whole life. The two both turn 30 this year. The artists present their preview performance of YuYu MiMi on Saturday, May 28, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 29, at 2 p.m. at Grantham's Landing Hall, 846 Church Road. After the show there will be an informal question and answer session with light refreshments served. The original music for the show is pre recorded, but musician Rick Scott and collaborator Valley Hennel will be in attendance with the play's creators to watch and answer questions. Tickets are $8 in advance at Gaia's Fair Trade and Roberts Creek Health Foods or $10 at the door.
